NEW YORK — For pure star power, the Yankees' lineup is a thing of beauty.

It has Hall of Famers, home-run hitters, legendary New York sports figures.

Against the Orioles in the division series, it had something else: a .211 team batting average.

The playoffs have a way of turning the most talented lineups into a flurry of flailing swings. Pitching has ruled across the baseball postseason. It has been perhaps most pronounced with the Yankees, who have redefined their impotence after arriving in the playoffs with a track record for struggling in clutch situations this season.

The Yankees' who's-who compilation have disintegrated into a who's-gonna-hit-it question mark. They have been barely better with runners in scoring position, at .219, after finishing 17th in RISP (.256) during the regular year. Before we had a chance to thoroughly process how they beat the O's in the ALDS, the Yanks opened the American League Championship Series against the Tigers a night later at Yankee Stadium.

One of the questions served Yankee manager Joe Girardi before the game? What did he make of Detroit's sporadic offense?

Girardi politely talked up the Tigers. Yet, he clearly had enough to worry about with his own team. The Yanks beat the Orioles largely on the strength of CC Sabathia (two wins) and Raul Ibanez (two home runs in Game 3). If good hitting is contagious, bad hitting must be just as catchy. How else to explain Robinson Cano, who hit .615 in his final 39 at-bats of the regular season, going 2-for-22 (.091) in the ALDS? He has had plenty of support from the cheap seats: Nick Swisher hit .111, Alex Rodriguez .125, Curtis Granderson .158, Ichiro Suzuki .217.

Consider that the Yanks have four of the top 20 active batters, according to baseballreference.com, given longevity requirements that include 1,000 innings and 3,000 plate appearances. They are Ichiro (3rd, 322), Derek Jeter (ninth, 313), Cano (12th, .308) and A-Rod (19th, .300). Yet of the group, only Jeter (.364, four runs) played a major role in the team's series win against Baltimore.

Girardi pointed to several factors involved in the dearth of hitting, by the Yanks and others. For one thing, teams with the top pitching staffs generally make the playoffs. Players try too hard and press. Girardi even pointed to the cooler air that prevents balls from carrying like in the summer.

So which of the stars, if any, was going to step up against the Tigers, who hit a relative meaty .252 in their ALDS victory against the Athletics? Cano would seem to be the best bet — the cleanest, smoothest hitter on the team. His sudden struggles after finishing the season like a beer-league softball all-star might be Exhibit A for the game's unpredictability.

"When you are able to keep a guy down for one round, I like my chances (with Cano) the second round,'' Girardi said. "I really do. I mean, we have seen him go through some ups and downs this year. And when he comes out of it, he's pretty special.''

At least Cano knows he will remain in the lineup no matter how many outs he makes. A-Rod, the most uncertain of Yankee stars both in performance and playing status, was back in the lineup for Game 1 after being benched for the ALDS finale.

"We need this guy to be Alex,'' Girardi said, as if suddenly admitting to an impostor having stolen A-Rod's identity. "If we want to make some noise, we need this guy to be Alex.''

Or, perhaps, Girardi needed his third baseman to be a fresher, younger, tougher version of A-Rod.